Atone in Darkness Read online

  He abruptly turned his back to her and walked away. “I’m going to take a shower and then sack out for a while.”

  She shoved her bruised emotions behind the familiar facade of the medical professional/patient relationship. “Good idea. Your body is still recovering. I’ll wake you when your next meal is delivered.”

  He didn’t bother to respond. Once she heard the water running, she returned her attention to Chase’s test results. There was more than one truth written there on the screen. The first was the one they’d already talked about—the constant abuse was taking a terrible toll on his body and his ability to recover.

  The other one was even more frightening—she very much feared those numbers also meant time was running out, not just for Chase but for her as well.

  • • •

  THE NEXT MORNING, Marisol decided a change in routine was in order. While she’d always been a bit of a loner, she was growing tired of having no one other than Chase to talk to. She didn’t blame him for running so hot and cold; that wasn’t the problem. What she really needed was someone who could offer her some insight into what was really going on around her in the facility. Although the latest bunch of guards weren’t nearly as approachable as the ones who had originally staffed the place, there was one who at least occasionally smiled as he passed by. He’d also pitched in to help her unload boxes of supplies.

  It wasn’t much to base a potential friendship on, but it was more than she had with anyone else. She was desperate enough to grasp at all straws, and she’d never seen him among those who came for Chase. His name was David. No, that wasn’t right. It was Dan. The problem was finding a way to talk to him without drawing unwanted attention to the interaction. That eliminated interrupting him when he was on duty. A social situation would be ideal, but it wasn’t as if their employer arranged cocktail parties or movie nights.

  There was one possibility, though. So rather than eat another microwaved meal alone in her room, she headed for the small cafeteria. By the time she approached the entrance, she was already having second thoughts, which were only intensified by the sudden silence that swept across the room when she walked in.

  Although she’d trained in an occupation where most of her colleagues were male, she wasn’t used to being the lone woman in a room full of armed men. After a few seconds, they turned their attention back to their own meals. A quick scan of the cafeteria made it clear that her target was nowhere to be seen, but she wasn’t ready to give up quite yet.

  She took that hard next step into the room and then headed toward the stack of trays at the end of the serving counter. No one spoke a word to her as she served herself. That left her with the question of where to sit.

  Should she join some guards she at least knew by sight? She rejected that idea immediately and considered her other two options. She could pick an empty table and hope that Dan eventually showed up, or she could simply take her tray to the lab and eat there.

  That would be safer. It would also be cowardly.

  Her decision made, she spotted a seat at the far end of a long table with only one man seated at the opposite end. By the time she sat down, the scattering of guards still eating had lost interest in her. She wasn’t sure if that was a victory of sorts by forcing them to accept her presence or if they knew she was no threat to them.

  With her bad case of nerves, the delicious-looking food tasted like dust. Rather than dump it into the garbage, she followed the same advice that she gave her stubborn patient. Food was necessary to maintain health and strength. With that in mind, she forced herself to eat. Two of the guards carried their trays over toward her table but veered off in a different direction at the last second. One of them glanced back at her and sneered, clearly sensing her relief that they’d chosen to sit elsewhere.

  So much for establishing a new rapport with any of her coworkers. As she bussed her dishes, she once again felt the weight of all those eyes following her every move. One more guard was headed into the cafeteria as she walked out. Before she could chicken out, she stopped him.

  “Excuse me, but have you seen Dan this morning?”

  At first she thought he wasn’t going to answer, but he finally shook his head. “His shift starts at noon. Did you need him for something?”

  She should’ve guessed he’d ask that and had an answer ready. She kept her response deliberately vague. “I just had a question for him. It wasn’t important. Thanks, anyway.”

  “Whatever.”

  He walked away without looking back. She forced herself to continue at a normal pace when what she wanted to do was bolt down the hall. Not sure what she’d accomplished by drawing unwanted attention to herself, she headed directly to her lab. As usual, the first thing she did when she entered was to see if Chase was in his cell. He’d been sleeping when she’d left the previous evening, but that didn’t always mean he’d still be there when she returned.

  His breakfast tray was on the counter just inside the door. How long had it been sitting there? No matter. If his food was cold, she could fix that.

  “Are you hungry?”

  Chase’s only answer was to sit up on the side of his bed. She supposed that meant he was. She stuck the plate in the microwave and punched the start button. As soon as it was done heating, she asked, “Do you want to eat out here or in there?”

  He remained silent and sitting right where he was. Fine. She punched in the code to open his door and then carried the tray in and set it on his bedside table. Considering his mood, she didn’t bother trying engage him in conversation. She also closed his door on her way out. If he wanted some time out of his cell, he could ask.

  On her way to boot up her laptop, her foot slipped as if she’d stepped in something wet. She managed to stop herself from falling by grabbing the counter. Once she steadied herself, she looked down to see what had spilled on the floor.

  Blood. Not a lot, but enough. That hadn’t been there when she left last night. Even if she’d somehow spilled one of the tubes of blood sitting on the counter, it wouldn’t look that fresh. Her mind finally connected all the dots.

  “Chase, did they come for you again?”

  He shrugged off her concern without bothering to look up from his tray. Enough was enough. She marched back over to his cell and let herself back in.

  “How badly are you hurt this time?”

  No answer.

  Her concern for him only fanned the flames of her growing anger. He wasn’t the one she was really mad at, but he was the only handy target for her temper. “Damn it, Chase, answer me when I talk to you.”

  The stubborn man waited until he swallowed before he finally slowly lifted his gaze to meet hers. For the first time she realized that the right side of his face was swollen. No doubt it hurt to eat much less talk.

  “I’ll get you an ice pack for your jaw. Where else are you hurt?”

  “Don’t bother acting like you really care.”

  When he returned his attention to his meal, she planted herself right in front of him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  The fury in his ice-blue eyes had her backing up. “I know you ordered them to come for me again. Something about wanting another round of tests to verify your findings.”

  “How could you think that? I have no control over the guards. They get their orders from someone else.”

  The stubborn set of his bruised jaw made it clear he wasn’t buying it. “You’re the only one who looks at my lab results, and you’re the only one I talked to about them. If you didn’t issue the orders, then how come they came in laughing about looking forward to our next interaction? I sure as hell never used that word to describe what they do to me.”

  She dropped into the only chair in his cell. One of her greatest fears was that someone was listening in, maybe even watching her every move while she was in her lab. That seriously creeped her out, and she couldn’t help but scan the ceiling yet again for some sign of a camera. If there was one, she didn’t see it.

>   “What’s the matter, Doc?”

  The softly spoken question was the first crack in his icy demeanor since she’d arrived. She kept her voice down, too, in the no doubt futile hope that their conversation would remain private. “I swear I didn’t talk to the guards yesterday, and I hate what they do to you.”

  She glanced back up at the ceiling. “I’m sure we’re being observed. I’m just not sure if they have audio only or if there is visual surveillance, too. I know someone accesses my files regularly.”

  He studied her as he slowly chewed another bite, wincing a bit as he swallowed. “I’m trying to believe you.”

  His continued distrust might be justified from his point of view, but it still hurt. Back to the matter at hand. “How badly are you hurt this time?”

  He pointed at his jaw and then turned to show her a jagged cut just inside the hairline above his right ear. “Surface cut. Bled a lot, but it’s fine now.”

  She held her hand up in front of his face. “Follow my finger from side to side.”

  He tracked it just fine, which was a relief. “Finish your meal, and I’ll get that ice pack for you.”

  She also brought him a couple of ibuprofen. It killed her that she couldn’t do more for him or find some way to protect him from other abuse. He swallowed the pills without comment and stretched back out on his bed with the ice on his face.

  Knowing there wasn’t anything else she could say or do that would improve the situation, she walked back out of the cell and let him sleep. While he rested, she’d watch over him, wondering the whole time if someone was watching over her, too.

  4

  * * *

  What had his keeper done that had her acting more twitchy than normal? Her behavior had been off all morning. Yeah, she was upset to see he’d spent time with his captors again, but it was more than that. She jumped every time one of her precious machines beeped. In between, she watched the door as if she were expecting someone to come cruising in any second. Add the way she looked guilty whenever she happened to glance in his direction, something was definitely up.

  Had she heard some news while he was sleeping? Something that made her think that their isolation was about to end? If her mysterious employers had decided to pay them a visit, what did that mean for him? For her?

  Nothing good, that was for sure.

  He was about to give in to his curiosity when he heard the whoosh of the lab door opening. Marisol went on point, her already tense demeanor ratcheting up several more notches. Her smile looked strained as she turned to greet her guest. When their visitor stepped into sight, Chase forced himself to remain right where he was on the cot. It wasn’t easy, though. While the guard wasn’t one of the group who were usually assigned to drag his reluctant ass down to the gym, he often participated in the brutal games once they got him there. If he lifted a single finger to threaten Marisol, Chase would take great pleasure in wringing the bastard’s neck for him.

  Regardless, it was doubtful he’d come for him. Even though he wasn’t at full strength, they all knew a single guard couldn’t physically control Chase. Yeah, the guy could gas him first. Chase wouldn’t be able to fight back, but he was still too heavy for one man to carry. So something else was going on.

  The thick glass that formed the outer wall of his cell would’ve made it nearly impossible for a normal human being to hear the low-pitched conversation between Marisol and her guest. Luckily, Chase’s sense of hearing was anything but normal.

  “Dr. Riggs, Wesley said you asked for me this morning.”

  Her smile only grew more strained. “Yes, I did.”

  When she didn’t continue, Dan looked more puzzled than concerned. “Did you need something specific?”

  He looked around the lab, his gaze pausing briefly on Chase before moving on. “Did you get another shipment you need help unpacking?”

  “No, but thanks for asking.” She shot a quick look toward Chase before giving the other man her full attention. “I have a couple of questions and wasn’t sure who might know the answers.”

  Dan went from relaxed to wary in a heartbeat. “What kind of questions?”

  She didn’t reply right away, but then she visibly drew herself up to her full height and straightened her shoulders as if preparing for a major confrontation. God, what was she up to now? The answer wasn’t long in coming.

  “I have some serious concerns about what is going on around here that I need to discuss with someone in authority. I thought you might tell me the name of the person I should be talking to.”

  The guard immediately widened his stance and crossed his arms over his chest. If he thought that would intimidate the good doctor, he was in for a surprise. Danny Boy wasn’t nearly as big as Chase was, and she’d never once backed down when he’d tried the same tactics on her. He’d never been able to decide if she was incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. Right now, it didn’t matter. She had no idea exactly how vicious this guy could be.

  “What kind of questions would those be, Doctor?”

  “The people at Annulus Development Corporation hired me for my medical expertise and my knowledge of physiology and genetics.” She pointed toward Chase’s cell. “I did not sign on to see a man tortured day after day. This needs to end before it’s too late.”

  Chase wanted to shake some sense into her. It had been too late for him the second they’d grabbed him back in Missouri. Her, too, for that matter. She may have been slow to realize that her fate was inextricably tied to his, but she was too smart not to have figured it out by now.

  Dan actually laughed. “If I did pass along your concerns, babe, my superiors wouldn’t find them nearly as entertaining as I do.”

  That didn’t go over well. Marisol’s face flushed hot with temper. “This is not a laughing matter, Dan. If I can’t get satisfaction from you or your bosses, then I’ll have no choice but to go to the authorities.”

  Any sign of good humor on Dan’s part disappeared. He stalked toward Marisol, forcing her to retreat until she was back up against the counter. Judging by the way her eyes flashed wide, she’d finally realized that she’d stumbled into very dangerous territory.

  “Look, I’m sorry I bothered you. I’m sure you have somewhere you need to be, and I have my own work to do.”

  Dan didn’t budge. Instead, he crowded closer and planted his hands on the counter on either side of Marisol, effectively trapping her. “Don’t get all snippy with me, Doctor. You might want to remember that you’re the only woman in this hellhole. Play nice with me, and I might not feel obligated to tell my superiors that you’ve threatened this entire operation.”

  When he tried to kiss her, Marisol gasped and slapped him as hard as she could. Chase immediately rolled up off his cot and started banging his fists on the glass that separated him from his keeper and her assailant.

  When she tried to slap Dan a second time, he caught her hand midswing, his smile turning sly. “I like my women feisty, Marisol.”

  “I’ll scream.”

  “Go ahead. I’d like that, too.” Then the bastard laughed. “Rumor has it we might be bugging out soon, and we’re counting the minutes until management declares open season on you and your pet over there in the cage. Don’t count on anyone rescuing you.”

  When he followed that taunt with a kiss hard enough bruise her lips, Chase cursed and yelled, “You’re wrong about that!”

  He looked around for something he could use to shatter the glass. The furniture in his cell was all bolted down, but maybe he could break something free and shatter the glass with it. Utilizing every bit of leverage and strength he could muster, he managed to kick one arm off the steel chair.

  The first blow rattled the door of his cell, drawing the guard’s attention in his direction. As soon as he realized that Chase had succeeded in cracking the glass, the guard shoved away from Marisol and called for reinforcements.

  They weren’t long in coming. This time, they didn’t bother with the gas. Instead, they came
at him in numbers. Chase fought back with everything he had, swinging his makeshift weapon hard and fast. As it turned out, the same thing that could break glass did a fine job of cracking skulls.

  The limited space in his cell ensured only a few guards could enter at the same time, allowing him to hold his own for a while. But for every guard he took out of the equation, there were two more ready to join in. Even knowing he was bound to lose out to superior numbers, he would go down fighting. He enjoyed watching Danny Boy spit out a couple of teeth as blood gushed from his nose after Chase’s fist connected with his face.

  That was his last happy thought as the hits kept coming. The pain ramped up until it consumed him completely. Finally, as the all-too-familiar darkness of death flowed through him, he sent a prayer winging upward to the cosmos that his keeper wouldn’t be the guards’ next target.

  • • •

  MARISOL’S THROAT WAS raw from screaming as she tried to claw her way through the guards to reach Chase. God knows what she could do if she managed to reach him; she only knew she had to try. He’d done nothing to deserve the beating they were giving him. She’d been the one to threaten Dan. She pushed past the back layer of guards, but that was as far as she got. When she latched on to the collar of the next man in line and yanked, he pried her hand off and spun around to face her.

  “Get back, you dumb bitch! Or do you want to be next?”

  She couldn’t find the words to respond as he shoved her back the way she’d come. Realizing the situation was both hopeless and dangerous, all the fight went out of her. She wouldn’t be of any good to Chase if she got herself beaten senseless—or worse—right along with him.

  After one last look at the feeding frenzy of violence, she crawled under the counter and covered her ears with her hands to mute the sound of fists pounding on flesh and groans of pain. Right now all she could do was pray they wouldn’t come after her next as she waited for the nightmare to end.